Swivel joint



June 12,19 .5- L. Q ROTTER Er AL 2,378,3 9

SWIVEL JOINT Filed Sept. 20, 1943 FIG. I.

v I 4 Il M 9 43 1 5/ 35 35 .9 f 15 z j7 45 37 FIGZ Patented June 12, 1945 swrvm. Jonrr Lntwln c. Rotter, Maplewood. and Victor- G.

Klein, St. Louis, M

anlgnorl to Lincoln eering Companm'SflLoululido a corpo- Engin ration of Missouri Application September 20; 1943,8erial N0. 503,059 I 2 Claims. (Cl. 285-973) This invention relates to swivel Joints, and with regard to certain more specific features, to such joints for fluid passages.

Among the several objects of'th'e invention may 1 be noted the provision'of a fluid-carrying swivel in which a substantial increase in bearing length is obtained between the swiveling parts without requiring lengthening the swivel as a whole; the provision of a swivel of the class described which is less subject to nipple breakage at the packings than heretoforerand the provision of a device of this class which may be economically manufactured with a lower number of parts. Other objects. will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

. The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, .features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplifledin the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is illustrated one of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 1s a longitudinal section showing my invention; and, a

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l.

, Similar reference characters indicate correspondingparts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, there:

is shown at numeral a hollow element of the swivel, the same including a lubricant passage 3. Element l is bored as indicated at 5 and double counterbored at 1 and 9. counterbore 9 is threaded as indicated at H. Seated on the shoulder |3 between the counterbores 1 and 9 is a cup-shaped gland-forming member I5, which is preferably made of soft steel. Member |5 reaches partially into the counterbore 1. It is held in place by a nut 35 screwed into threads Adjacent to this member i5 is a circular packing l1, next to which is a washer is. through the members l5, I1 and I9 for accommodating a nipple 23 of the swiveling element indicated in general by numeral 25.

The element 25 is constituted by a soft steel tube 21 threaded at 29 to accommodate an outside connector member 3l. The tube 21 has a relatively long bearing 33 in the holding nut 35.

The nut carries a hexagonal wrench engaging portion 31 and is counterbored at 39 to provide a seat 4|- in which a groove 43 is coined. The

groove is worked into the seat 2| by a coining to A hole 2| passes press operation which has the effect of coldworking the metal adjacent to the groove 43' which produces a dense'mill finish at thispoint.

The nut is then hardened. 1

6 l The coined groove forms a race for ball bearlugs 45. On the other side of the bearings 45 is a ring 41 which is formed by punching from soft steel. During or after the punching operation a groove 49 is coined into the ring which also produces a dense mill finish bearing race. The ring is then hardened. The ring 41 is supported upon a flange 5| extending from the tube 21. The tube 21, flange 5| and nipple 23 are all integral and composed of soft steel, as stated. H

For. assembly purposes the flange 5| is made hexagonal as shown in Fig. 2 so that first the nut 35 may be slipped into position on the sleeve 21 with the ring 41 and bearings 43 in place. Then the attachment member 3| may be threaded on and pulled up into position by applying wrenches to the hexagonal flange 5| and the hexagonal head 53 of the member 3|. After inserting the parts l5, l1 and IS in the openings 1 and ll, the nut 35 is threaded home which holds in place said parts |5, l1 and I9 while holding the nipple by coining the other groove 49 into a. stamped ring 41 and. then hardening it, it becomes unnecessary tov harden any part associated with the tube 21. Thus the whole tube may be made soft.

The result is that with a longer bearing between members 21 and 35 there is less tendency for cocking action of the nipple 23 in the parts l5, l1 and 19. Furthermore, since the nipple is of soft steel, instead of hard as heretofore, any slight cocking action that may take place is not so likely to break off the nipple. -Breaking of similar but hard nipples in packing glands has heretofore been a source of constant difiiculty in swivel apparatus of this class. Finally, the tube 21 constitutes a relatively soft journal in a hard surrounding bearing, which is a favorable bearing combination. The parts l9 and i5 together function as a gland for retaining the packing l1. The element I5 of this gland is held in place by the nut 35 andcoacting counterbores 1 and 9. The

washer element I9 is forced by internal pressure In view'of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall'beinterpreted receive a threaded holding nut, a packing gland consisting of a cup-shaped member seating on said shoulder and engageable at its rim to be held by the nut, said member having an opening therethrough, said gland including a packing ring having on one 01' its sides the bottom of the cupshaped member and on the other side a washer, the washer being movable in said hollow-body portion in response to pressure carried therein in order to squeeze the ring, a tubular member passing through the nut, said tubular member carrying within the body member an outwardly directed flange overhanging the inside of the nut and located in said cup-shaped gland member and also having a nippleextendingdnward from said flange and through both parts oi -the. gland and the packing, saidnut being hardened and;

having a bearing race directly on its inside sur face adjacent said flange, thereby providing for increased bearing length between the tubular member and the nut, a separate hardened bearing ring under the flange, and ball bearings located between said hardened ring and the hardened nut.

2.- A fluid conduit swivel comprising an outside hollow body having a double-stepped counterbore with an intermediate shoulder and bein threaded to receive an interiorly cupped holding nut, a packing gland consisting of a cup-shaped member having a. step seating on said shoulder and engageable at its edge by the edge of the nuttobe held thereby, said' member and nut providing an enclosed hollow portion, said member having an opening therethrough, said gland including a, packing ring having on one of its sides the bottompf the cup-shapedmember and on the other side a washer, the washer being movable irrsaid hollow. body portion in response to pressure carried therein to squeeze the ring, a tubular member passing through the nut, said tubular member carrying within' the body member an outwardly directed flange located in said enclosed hollow portion and also having a, nipple extending inward from said flange and through both parts of the gland and the packing, said tube, nipple and flange being unhardv and be t-mg materials.

ened, said nut being hardened and having a. bearing race directly on its inside surface adjacent said flange, a separate hardened bearing ring under the flange,and ball bearings located between said hardened ring and the hardened nut and contacting the latter directly, thereby proimproved bearing means between the ember and the nut both as to length tub, in

LUTWIN C. ROTTER. VICTOR G. KLEIN. 

